Setting the Scene
- For the first time as an NCAA Division II institution, SWOSU Women's Basketball will play for a National Championship when they meet Lubbock Christian on Friday evening at 6:00 pm (CST) in Columbus, Ohio
- SWOSU advanced to the championship game with a 66-57 victory over Indiana (Pa.) on Wednesday night while LCU upset undefeated Drury 69-60 to reach their second title game
- This will be the second meeting of the season for the Lady Bulldogs and LCU, with SWOSU taking a 77-75 come-from-behind decision over the Lady Chaps on December 3rd in Weatherford
- While they are playing in their first NCAA Division II National Championship game, SWOSU Women's Basketball went 5-1 in NAIA Championship games, claiming titles in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1990
- SWOSU and LCU have played in each of the last three seasons, with the home team winning each of those contests to even the all-time series at 3-3
- The Division II National Championship game will be broadcast live to a national audience on CBS Sports Network
 
About the Opponent
(5) #24/25 Lubbock Christian (31-5)
- LCU won the Heartland Conference title and earned the No. 3-seed in the South Central Regional, where they defeated Tarleton State, Colorado Mesa and Angelo State to reach the Elite Eight for the third time in four seasons
- The Lady Chaps won the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship and reached their second title game by defeating North Georgia (99-54) and Drury (69-60) in the Elite Eight
- LCU is ranked third in NCAA Division II in three-point field goal percentage, fourth in field-goal percentage and eighth in assists while outscoring opponents by better than 20 points per game
- The Lady Chaps are led by Olivia Robertson, who averages 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and scored a game-high 25 points in the first meeting between the teams
- Head Coach Steve Gomez built Lubbock Christian into an NAIA powerhouse program and has continued that success since transitioning to NCAA Division II, having led LCU to their second National Championship game appearance in four seasons
 
The Series

Date	Location	Score
2/5/92	Wichita Falls, Texas	W, 89-53
11/25/00	Plainview, Texas	L, 63-79
11/10/12	Weatherford, Okla.	L, 71-93
12/10/16	Weatherford, Okla.	W, 90-63
12/7/17	Lubbock, Texas	L, 65-95
12/3/18	Weatherford, Okla.	W, 77-75
All-Time: Series Tied 3-3
NCAA Division II Era: LCU Leads 3-2
in Weatherford: SWOSU Leads 2-1
in Lubbock: LCU Leads 1-0
Neutral Site: Series Tied 1-1
at Pioneer Cellular Event Center: SWOSU Leads 1-0

 
SWOSU Notes
- With Wednesday's victory, the 2018-19 SWOSU Lady Bulldogs have set a new single-season school record with 35 victories, eclipsing the previous record of 34, set by a pair of NAIA National Championship teams in 1982 and 1985
- SWOSU will now play for their first NCAA Division II National Championship after claiming five NAIA titles and going 5-1 in championship games, with their last title coming in 1990 and last championship game appearance in 1991
- With 13 points on Wednesday against Indiana (Pa.), Hayden Priddy surpassed Valerie Farris (1,845 points) for third place on SWOSU's all-time scoring list
- Priddy now trails only legendary four-time All-American and three-time National Champion Kelli Litsch (2,700 points; 1981-85) and fellow Lady Dawg senior Hailey Tucker on the career scoring list
- Hailey Tucker filled out the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals against IUP, helping her team to their 35th consecutive victory, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division II following Drury's semifinal defeat
- SWOSU's senior class won their 101st career game with the 66-57 national semifinal victory over IUP to become the winningest four-year class in the history of the Great American Conference
- Bethany Franks recorded her seventh double-double of the season and third of the postseason with 14 points and 12 rebounds against IUP while playing all 40 minutes in a game for the first time in her collegiate career
- In five NCAA Tournament games, Franks is averaging a double-double with 13.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game
- SWOSU's high-pressure defense was limited to a season-low four steals in the win over IUP but they still managed 18 points off of 11 turnovers by the Crimson Hawks
- Tyra Aska finished the national semifinal with eight rebounds and five points, leaving her three points away from matching Muriel Brown (1,242 points; 1990-94) for eighth place on the Lady Bulldogs all-time scoring list
- In the first meeting against Lubbock Christian this season, Tucker led the Lady Dawgs with 25 points while Priddy added 23 points and Franks was one basket shy of a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds
- Alexa Harvey came off the bench and logged five crucial minutes against IUP, knocking down 2-of-3 field goals and a pair of free throws to finish with seven points, her highest scoring total in the last 13 games
- Taylor Hedrick knocked down 2-of-6 field goal attempts against IUP, including one three-pointer after being held scoreless by Saint Anselm in the national quarterfinals
- All eight players who saw the floor for SWOSU in the semifinals against Indiana (Pa.) scored at least five points
- Maddie Sperle has scored at least four points in six of the Lady Dawgs eight postseason games dating back to the start of the GAC Tournament, including five points on 2-for-4 shooting against IUP
- Tucker has led SWOSU with 3.2 assists per game in the NCAA Tournament after dishing out six against IUP for the second time in the five-game run